Wolf Pack At The Break

The AHL All-Star Game was Monday night. The Western Conference beat the Eastern Conference 14-12. So now it is back to the regular season and the second half. The Wolf Pack play Bridgeport Friday night at 7 at the XL Center. We asked Bob Crawford, radio voice of the Wolf Pack, to look back and ahead. He has been with the team all 18 years and has called more than 2,000 games.

Longest win streak: Have won four straight three times: 10/26-11/5, 12/7-12/14 and 1/16-1/23

Biggest comeback: The biggest comeback was Dec. 5 at Syracuse, yet the Wolf Pack lost. The Crunch went ahead 5-0 in the first period, but the Wolf Pack scored three in the second and then twice got to within one goal in the third, before eventually falling, 6-5.

Most surprising player: Justin Vaive. Fourth-year pro had scored a total of three goals and nine points in 83 career AHL games before this year, and already has nine goals and 16 points in 29 games this season.

Best play: I would go with an overtime winner that Marek Hrivik scored in a game at Springfield Jan. 10. A versatile, honest player who had trouble buying a goal for much of the first half, Hrivik carried the puck into the offensive zone and then zipped it into the top corner on the goaltender's stick side, off the crossbar and in. Great shot, and a huge win against the division leaders, in a game in which the Wolf Pack came back twice to tie in the last four minutes of regulation.

My favorite call on the radio:Dylan McIlrath's game-winning goal in the Wolf Pack's 4-3 home win against Springfield this past Friday. That capped a Wolf Pack comeback from three one-goal deficits, and came in front of an enthusiastic Friday night crowd of more than 5,900. It was a terrific rush by McIlrath, who normally is a stay-at-home defenseman, and he finished it by popping the water bottle off the top of the net with a perfect snap shot into the top shelf. I had a great view of it from my angle, and both I and the crowd went bananas.

Second half challenges: Improve the power play — the power play unit is 22nd out of the 30 AHL teams at 14.9 percent, and is 5 of 66 in the last 15 games ... Diversify the offense somewhat — Chris Bourque has 35 points, next-highest scorer, Oscar Lindberg, has 28. ... Road-heavy schedule upcoming — after the two home games this weekend, the team will have played 16 out of its past 22 at home, and after Saturday, eight of the next nine, and 18 of the next 24, are on the road.